Rabbit At Rest 27 Jan, 2009

I discovered Updike as a teenager (Rabbit, Run of course) gradually embroiling myself in more and more American literature. In fact, my university degree was in American Studies, “majoring” (as they say over there) in literature. This decision was due in no small part to Updike, along with some of the other transatlantic luminaries like Twain, Emily Dickinson, Steinbeck, Tom Wolfe and John Irving.

I re-read Terrorist only a couple of months back; Updike had the extraordinary ability to write quite depressing prose that was actually perversely uplifting. And by jiminy could he write about sex!